Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast and Northern Plains; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of damaging wind gusts and hail are forecast across the Northeast U.S. and North Dakota today. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible over eastern New Mexico into western Texas and over the western Florida peninsula today. Critical fire weather conditions will persist today over parts of the interior Northwest and Great Basin. Read More >

Automatically generated image showing areas of the convective interest parameter.


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Convective Interest

This is a highly experimental index which attempts to show areas where surface based convection is favorable or may initiate within the next hour. The index uses a combination of several fields, (CAPE, CIN, low level lapse rates, moisture convergence, satellite, and most unstable LI) to develop a number between -100 and 100. Negative values are indicative of an environment not supportive of surface based convection. The higher the value, the more favorable the environment is for surface based convection. Values greater than 70 are suggestive that convective initiation will likely occur within the next hour in that region. This index works best in regimes of airmass (or pulse) convection or on days where the cap is the primary inhibiting factor for convection.

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Severe Thunderstorms in the Northeast and Northern Plains; Critical Fire Weather in the West

Convective Parameters - Convective Interest